Method and apparatus for recovery of liquids from a well bore



May 13, 1969 w. P. MCQOMB 3,443,641

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR RECOVERY OF LIQUIDS FROM A WELL BORE Filed Feb.27, 1967 /-Z7 36' d 1 2d 6 l 270 a f 42 W Z s 7 l b 40 A E AL 2027 t 300-E 26 23 A9 W////am P. Me (0076 INVEN'IOR.

BY & RIM/J 3,443,641 METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR RECOVERY OF LIQUIDS FROM AWELL BORE William P. McComb, late of Box 1291, Conroe, Tex. 77301;Austin B. McComb, administrator of said W. P. McComb, deceased FiledFeb. 27, 1967, Ser. No. 618,939 Int. Cl. E21b 43/16 US. Cl. 166-302 5Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A method and apparatus for recovery ofliquids and vapors from a well bore including positioning a compressormeans and a condensor means adjacent the well bore and positioning anevaporation means in the Well bore to cool and condense a portion of thevapors in the well bore into liquids. The compressor means, condensormeans, and evaporator means are connected together to form arefrigeration cycle which causes a portion of the vapors in the wellbore to condense as Well as causing the higher temperature vapors andliquids in the surrounding higher pressure formation to move toward thecooled well bore for removal of the liquids and vapors by suitablemeans.

In another related embodiment, a vessel or container filled withrefrigerant is positioned in the well bore with a tubular memberpositioned in one end of the vessel. The tubular member is cooled bycontinuously removing the refrigerant from the vessel by a compressormeans positioned adjacent the well bore and liquid gas is taken from thecompressor and inserted back into the adjacent earthen formations. Thecooled tubular member causes vapors in the well bore to condensethereon, which condensed liquid then drips downwardly into the vesselproviding a continuous refrigerant for said vessel. The cooled vesselcondenses vapors in the well bore into liquids which are thereafterremoved by a suitable means such as a valve and pump means.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the invention This inventionrelates to a new and improved method and apparatus for recovery ofliquids from a well bore and more particularly to a new and improvedmethod and apparatus including the use of a refrigeration cyclepositioned in well :bore to condense vapors in the well bore intoliquids so that they may thereafter be removed by a suitable valve andpump means.

Summary of the invention It is an object of the present invention toprovide a method for recovery liquids from a well bore comprising thesteps of positioning a compressor means and condensor means adjacent thewell bore, positioning an evaporator means in the well bore, connectingeach of the means to each other to form a refrigeration cycle,condensing vapors in the well bore into liquids adjacent the evaporatormeans and removing the liquids from the well bore by a suitable valveand pump means.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a new andimproved method for recovery of liquids from a well bore comprising thesteps of positioning a compressor means adjacent the Well bore,inserting or positioning refrigerant in an open end vessel or containerto cool the vessel, positioning the container in the well bore,positioning a tubular member in the well bore and cooling the tubularmember with the refrigerant in the container wherein the refrigerant iscontinuously removed upwardly tent though the tubular member by acompessor positioned adjacent the well bore thereby causing liquidvapors in the well bore to condense into liquids on the tubular memberand move downwardly into the container, and condensing vapors in thewell bore adjacent the container into liquids so that said liquids maybe removed by any suitable means from the well bore.

Yet still another object of the present invention is to provide a newand improved apparatus for recovering liquids from a well bore includinga vessel or container positioned in the well bore and having arefrigerant positioned therein to cool the container; a tubular memberhaving an upper and lower end positioned in the well bore with saidlower end being positioned in the container; a compressor positionedadjacent the well bore for removing the liquid refrigerant from thevessel upwardly though the tubular member to thereby cool the tubularmember to cause vapors in the well bore to become condensed into liquidson the tubular member to thereby enable the condensed liquids to move ordrop downwardly into the container so that they may be continuouslyremoved by the compressor, said compressor means being used to returnthe liquid gas to the formation adjacent the well bore wherein thecooled container causes vapors in the well bore to become condensed inliquid form adjacent said container and wherein the liquid gas returnedto the formation from the compressor means causes liquids in theadjacent higher temperature and higher pressure formations to movetoward the cooled, lower pressure well bore adjacent said container; andfurther including a means for removing liquids in the well bore adjacentsaid container.

Brief description 0 the drawings FIG. 1 illustrates an embodiment of theinvention describing a refrigeration cycle positioned in an adjacent thewell bore with means for removal of liquids from the well bore; and

FIG. 2 is an illustration of an alternative embodiment of the presentinvention illustrating a container or vessel positioned in a Well borehaving a tubular member positioned at one end in said vessel and withsaid other end mounted adjacent a compressor effecting a continuousrefrigeration cycle to enable liquids in the well bore to be removed byany suitable means.

Description of the preferred embodiments Attention is directed to FIG. 1wherein the present invention is generally illustrated by the numeral 10and is illustrated as being positioned in a well bore 11 surrounded byearthen formations 12. A compressor means and condensor means 13 and 14,respectively, are positioned adjacent the well bore and an evaporatormeans 15 is positioned in the well bore to form a refrigeration cyclewhich moves in the direction of the arrows 16. The evaporator means 15cools the adjacent well bore and the vapor in the evaporator means 15 ismoved upwardly through the compressor 13 and into the condensor '14 tobe continuously returned to the evaporator means 15 by the conduits 17connecting each of the compressor means, condensor means, and evaporatormeans to each other. It is, of course, to be understood that a suitablerefrigerant is used in the conduit lines 17 for cooling the well boreadjacent the evaporator means 15.

As the well bore 11b adjacent the evaporator means 15 is cooled, aportion of the vapors forced into the well bore 11b by the adjacenthigher temperature and higher pressure earthen formation are condensedinto liquids 18 because of the change in temperature. It is to beunderstood that the well bore 11 usually has a lower pressure in theadjacent formations because of the hole or bore itself and that theevaporator means 15 cools the well bore so that it has a lowertemperature than the adjacent higher temperature formation.

As liquids 18 are condensed in the well bore 11b, a valve means 19 isprovided for continuously removing the liquids 18 and vapors therefromby providing a conduit 20 communicating with a suitable pump 21 forremoval of the liquids 18 and vapors from said bore to any suitable pipeline (not shown) or storage means (not shown).

In the alternative embodiment as illustrated in FIG. 2, the invention isgenerally designated by the numeral 25. A vessel or container 26 ispositioned in a well bore 27 which is surrounded by earthen formation28. An initial refrigerant 29 is placed or positioned in the vessel 26for cooling of the vessel. A tubular member 30 is positioned in the wellbore and is illustrated as having a lower end 30a positioned in anopening 26a of the vessel. The upper end of the tubular member 30 isswedged or tapered at 31 to be connected to a compressor conduit line32. The compressor conduit line 32 is connected at the other end to acompressor means 34 positioned adjacent the Well bore 27. As furtherillustrated in FIG. 2, a conduit line 35 extends from the compressor 34downwardly into the well bore 27 and terminates at 36 between aplurality of inflatable packers 37a and 37b mounted between the tubularmember 30 and well bore 27 which isolate a segment 27a of the well borefrom the remainder of the well bore. 27. As will be brought outhereinafter, suitable perforation holes 38 are provided forcommunicating the well bore hole with the surrounding earthenformations, if needed.

A valve means 39 is positioned in the well bore 27 adjacent the vessel26 and is connected to a conduit 40 which extends upwardly through thepackers 37a and 37b to suitable pumping means 41 which is well known inthe art.

In the operation of the embodiment disclosed in FIG. 2, the initialliquid refrigerant 29 positioned in the vessel 26 is drawn upwardly as avapor and partially as a liquid through the tubular member 30 and intothe compressor means 34 by passing through the taper 31 and conduit line32. As the refrigerant 29 is moved upwardly, the tubular member 30 iscooled which causes the portion of the well bore 270 adjacent thetubular member to become cooled, thereby causing vapors in the well boreadjacent the segment 270 to become cooled to thereby enable vapors tobecome condensed into liquid form on the tubular member 30. The liquid42 moves downwardly into the vessel or container 26 to provide anadditional refrigerant and is thereafter continuously removed from thevessel by the compressor means 34.

The compressor means 34, after converting the vapors into compressedgas, moves a portion of the liquid gas through the line 35 down to theisolated well bore segment 27a. The liquids then flow out into theadjacent earthen formation through the perforation holes 38. It is to beunderstood that the perforation holes 38 are only necessary if the wellbore segment 27a is surrounded by easing or other tubular members. It isalso to be understood that the liquid gas not returned to the formationthrough conduit 35 is transported to a storage area (not shown) throughconduit 34'.

As the container or vessel 26 is continuously cooled by the refrigerant29 and liquid 42, vapors in the well bore segment 27]; become condensedinto liquids and are thereafter removed by the valve means and pumpmeans 39 and 41, respectively, by communicating such means with theconduit line 40.

Since the well bore segment 27b is of a lower temperature and at a lowerpressure than the surrounding earthen formation, then heat removed fromthe well bore segment 27b will be replaced by heat from the surroundingearthen formation system. As the heat supplied by liquids and vaporsfrom the earthen formation system moves into the lower pressure andlower temperature well bore segment 27b, such vapors are converted orcondensed into liquid form to become removed by the valve means and pumpmeans 39 and 41, respectively, as is well known in the art.

Further, as the liquid gas is returned to the earthen formation adjacentthe segment 27a, this causes the earthen formation and the liquidscontained therein to flow or move in the direction of the lower pressurewell bore which thereby increases the volume of liquid collecting in thewell bore segment 27b.

It is, of course, to be understood that the conduit line 35 may beinserted in other Well bores upstream (not shown) in the same formationfrom the well bore 27 to cause similar flooding or washing ashereinabove described.

This invention relates to a new and improved method and apparatus forrecovering liquids from a well bore utilizing a continuous refrigerantcycle to continuously cool the well bore to cause vapors in the wellbore to become condensed into liquids for their continuous removal by asuitable means.

I claim:

1. A method for recovering liquids from a well bore surrounded byearthen formations comprising the steps of:

(a) positioning a compressor means adjacent the well bore;

(b) positioning an initial liquid refrigerant in an open ended vesselwhich cools the vessel;

(c) positioning the open ended vessel in the well bore with its open endfacing upwardly;

(d) positioning a tubular member in the well bore;

(e) removing said initial liquid refrigerant from said vessel throughsaid tubular member and into said compressor means, thereby coolinggaseous vapors in the well bore with the cooled tubular member,condensing the gaseous vapors into liquid gas on the tubular memberwhich causes the condensed gas to move downwardly into the open endedvessel;

(f) continuously removing the liquid from the vessel through the tubularmember and into the compressor means, thereby cooling the vapors in thewell bore and formation adjacent the cooled vessel, and condensing thecooled vapors adjacent the vessel into liquids; and

(g) positioning means in the well bore adjacent the vessel forwithdrawing the liquids from the well bore.

2. The method as set forth in claim 1 including the steps of returningthe condensed vapors from the compressor means to the earthen formationsadjacent the well bore which thereby causes higher temperature vaporsand gases in the formation to move toward the well bore.

3. The method as set forth in claim 1 including the steps of:

(a) isolating a segment of the well bore with a plurality of inflatablepackers; and

(b) returning condensed vapors from the compressor means to the earthenformations adjacent the isolated segment of the well bore which therebycauses vapors and gases in the higher temperature earthen formations tomove toward the well bore.

4. The method as set forth in claim 1 including the step of returningcondensed vapors from the compressor means to another well bore whichthereby causes higher temperature liquids and vapors in the formation tomove toward the cooled vessel for removal thereof by the means forwithdrawing the liquids from the Well bore.

5. An apparatus for recovering liquids from a well bore including:

(a) a container having an open top positioned in the well bore having aninitial refrigerant positioned therein to cool said container;

(b) a tubular member having an upper and lower end positioned in thewell bore, said lower end being positioned in the container;

(c) a compressor means positioned adjacent the well bore for removingthe initial liquid refrigerant from the vessel up through the tubularmember which thereby cools the tubular member tocause a portion (e)means for removing liquids in the well bore adof the vapors in the wellbore to become condensed jacent said container. as a liquid on thetubular member and wherein the condensed liquid moves down said tubularmember References Cited and into said container to be used as arefrigerant 5 UNITED STATES PATENTS and become continuously removed bythe compres- 1 812 267 6/1931 Lewis 166 39 X sor means;

(d) means for returning said condensed liquid from 2588296 3/1952Russell 16657 said compressor means to the formation adjacent the2'765850 10/1956 A116? 166 39 well bore wherein said cooled containercauses vapors 10 $004,601 10/1961 Bodlnfi 16639 in the well bore tobecome condensed in liquid form u adjacent said container and whereinthe liquid gas re- CHARLES O CONNELL Primary Exammerturned to theformation from the compressor means L CALVERT, Assistant Examiner causesliquids in the adjacent higher temperature and pressure formations tomove toward the cooled, lower 15 U S CL X R,

pressure well bore adjacent said container; and 166 57

